PROPOSED
CONSTITUTION
AND
BYLAWS
OF THE
COOPERATIVE COUNCIL for OKLAHOMA
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION (CCOSA)
/OKLAHOMA MIDDLE LEVEL
EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (OMLEA)
CONSTITUTION
APPROVED 2/25/05
Constitution and Bylaws of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA)/Oklahoma Middle Level Education Association (OMLEA)
ARTICLE I: Name, Structure, and Purpose
Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the CCOSA/OMLEA.
Section 2: CCOSA/OMLEA shall function as a subcommittee of the Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals (OASSP) and a state affiliate of the National Middle School Association (NMSA).
Section 3: The purpose of CCOSA/OMLEA is to promote the awareness and implementation of best practice in middle level education; to encourage greater recognition of young adolescence as a distinct developmental level requiring specialized methodology and curriculum; to improve communication between educators in the middle level with the education community and stakeholders; and to represent middle level education.
ARTICLE II: Power of the Association
Section 1: As a professional association, decisions on all questions not pertaining directly to the association shall be considered advisory and not mandatory.
ARTICLE III: Membership
Section 1: Membership in OMLEA shall consist of three types: administrator /staff membership, nonadministrator membership, and student membership.
Section 2: Membership in this Association shall be automatically granted to any middle level administrator who is a member in good standing of OAESP or OASSP. In addition, when the administrator is a member of OAESP or OASSP, the teachers in the administrator’s school shall be automatically granted membership in OMLEA. This membership does not qualify the teachers for CCOSA benefits.
Section 3: Membership in the Association shall also be open to nonadministrators, teachers, and others interested in middle level education through payment of annual individual OMLEA membership dues. This membership level does not qualify the individual for CCOSA benefits.
Section 4: Full-time university students may qualify for membership in CCOSA/OMLEA through payment of a discounted membership fee.
ARTICLE IV: Meetings
Section 1: There shall be a minimum of one business meeting of the Association during the school year, and other meetings may be called by the President with approval of the Board of Directors.
Section 2: A quorum of ten percent (10%) of the active membership in the CCOSA database shall be required to conduct official business at an Association meeting.
Section 3: All Association meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order, Revised.
ARTICLE V: Officers
Section 1: Officers must be members in good standing of CCOSA/OMLEA and are encouraged to be members of the National Middle School Association.
Section 2: The Officers of the Association shall be: President, President-elect, immediate past-President, and Secretary.
Section 3: The President-elect and Secretary shall be elected for a term of one year by the membership as prescribed by the OMLEA Bylaws.
Section 4: Officers will begin their terms following the annual conference. In the event of a mail ballot for election, Officers will assume their duties as soon as the ballot count has been verified.
Article VI: Board of Directors
Section 1: The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of the Association and shall conduct all business of the Association under the auspices of OASSP and subject to CCOSA Bylaws and approval.
Section 2: The Board of Directors shall consist of the Officers and twelve (12) Directors. The Directors are comprised of six regional representatives appointed by the Board of Directors as defined in the OMLEA Bylaws, one representative from the State Department of Education, one representative from the colleges/universities in the State of Oklahoma, two representatives from OAESP, and two representatives from OASSP.
Section 3: The NMSA regional representative may serve as an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors.
Section 4: The term of office for the twelve Directors shall be two years. The terms of the regional representatives shall be two years.
Section 5: The majority of the Board of Directors present at an official meeting shall constitute a quorum of the Board of Directors.
Section 6: The Board of Directors shall meet a minimum of three times per year. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President or at the request of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors.
Section 7: At the business meeting of the Association, the Board of Directors shall furnish a detailed report of disbursements and a recommended budget for the current year. The report shall include the date, amount, and purpose of each expenditure.
ARTICLE VII: Duties of Officers
Section 1: The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association and the OMLEA Board of Directors. He/she shall serve as ex-officio member of all standing and special committees except the nominating committee. He/she shall have the power, with the approval of the executive committee, to appoint necessary committees and to fill all vacancies not otherwise provided by the Constitution. He/she shall serve as a voting member of the OAESP and OASSP Executive Committees. In the event the President cannot serve on these Committees, the OMLEA Board of Directors will select a replacement.
Section 2: The President-elect shall preside and fulfill the duties of the President in his/her absence. He/she may serve as an ex-officio member of any committee and shall assist the Conference Coordinator in planning at least one annual conference.
Section 3: The duties of the immediate past-President shall include chairing the nominating committee, serving on the Board of Directors, and assisting the incoming President as requested in order to assure continuity of the Association.
Section 4: The Secretary shall keep the records of all official proceedings of the Association and the Board of Directors and make these available to the Board of Directors in a timely manner.
ARTICLE VIII: Nominating Committee
Section 1: The nominating committee, which will consist of the immediate past-President of OMLEA and at least two members of the Board of Directors, shall present at least one candidate who is willing and able to serve for each office of President-elect and Secretary. The chairperson of this committee shall submit the names of these candidates to the Board of Directors for approval.
Section 2: The President shall present these candidates to the membership present at the next business meeting. The President shall ask for additional nominations for each office from the floor. If any nominations are made, their names will be added to the ballot. Consent of the nominee must be obtained before that person’s name can be placed in nomination.
ARTICLE IX: Amendments
Section 1: This Constitution may be amended by two-thirds vote of the membership present at a business or called meeting, or two-thirds vote of those voting in a mail ballot provided that the proposed amendment has been submitted to and approved by the Board of Directors and sent to the members of the Association at least thirty days before said meeting or mail ballot. Ballots shall be returned to the Association office at which time a committee consisting of the President and at least four members of the Board of Directors will certify the count.
ARTICLE X: Bylaws
Section 1: Such Bylaws as may be deemed appropriate for the functioning of the Association may be adopted by a simple majority of the Association members voting.
ARTICLE XI: Former Constitution voided
Section 1: This document, when approved by a majority vote of the members, supersedes any previous OMLEA constitution completely, including all provisions and amendments thereof.
January 19, 2005
Bylaws
Article I: Annual Dues
Section1: For administrator/staff membership, the annual dues shall be the amount required for CCOSA membership.
Section 2: For nonadministrator membership, the annual dues shall be $25 per year.
Section 3: For student membership, the annual dues shall be $10.
Article II: Association Year
Section 1: The Association year shall be October 1 through September 30.
Article III: Affiliation
Section 1: This Association shall maintain its affiliation with the National Middle School Association (NMSA) and the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA).
Article IV: Standing Committees
Section 1: The standing committees of CCOSA/OMLEA shall be Membership, Conference, Nominating, and Publications. Other committees may be added by the Board of Directors.
Section 2: Committees shall make a report, in writing, to the Board of Directors prior to the annual conference.
Section3: All actions by the committees are subject to approval of the Board of Directors.
Article V: Elections
Section 1: Candidates for President-elect and Secretary shall be submitted to the Board of Directors prior to the annual conference.
Section 2: Candidates for President-elect and Secretary will be presented to the membership for approval at the annual conference business meeting. Nominations from the floor will be accepted at this time. In the event that nominations are made from the floor, a mail ballot will be sent to the membership no later than one month following the conference. Ballots will be due in the CCOSA office no later than three weeks after mailing. A committee of three members, consisting of the President and two members of the Board of Directors will verify the count.
Section 3: In order to be elected, a candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast.
Section 4: In case no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, then a runoff shall be held between the two candidates receiving the most votes. The ballots will again be counted as specified in Section 2 above.
Article VI: Vacancies
Section 1: When a vacancy occurs in the office of the Secretary, President-elect or simultaneously in the offices of both President and President-elect, the Board of Directors shall fill those positions until an election can be held.
Section 2: When a vacancy occurs in the Board of Directors, the remaining Directors shall fill such vacancy for the unexpired terms.
Article VII: Board of Directors
Section 1: The Board of Directors shall consist of the Officers (President, President-elect, immediate past-President and Secretary) and twelve (12) Directors.
Section 2: Six Directors appointed by the Board of Directors shall serve as regional representatives. The regions shall be defined as follows: the Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, and Southeast regions shall be separated east from west by I-35 and north from south by I-40. The Oklahoma City region and the Tulsa region shall be identified by the shaded area on a current Oklahoma Department of Transportation Highway map. The terms of the regional representatives shall be rotated with the Northeast, Southeast, and Tulsa representatives appointed in even years and the Northwest, Southwest, and Oklahoma City representatives appointed in odd years.
Section 3: Two Directors represent OAESP and two Directors represent OASSP.
Section 4: One Director represents the State Department of Education, and one represents the colleges and universities.
Article VIII: Amendments
Section 1: These Bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the executive committee by a two-thirds vote of the members present, provided that a quorum shall be present. The amendment shall have been presented in writing at the previous executive committee meeting.
Article IX: Attendance at Board of Directors’ Meetings
Section 1: Those members elected or appointed to the OMLEA Board of Directors are expected to attend the three (3) scheduled meetings and any called meeting. If the member cannot, for any reason, attend; the member must send an alternate to represent the member. If a member misses three (3) of the regularly scheduled meetings, the member will be replaced whether the member sends an alternate or not.
January 19, 2005